1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skis located on the bottom of ice fishing shanties which enable them to be slid over ice or snow covered terrain. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ski system for ice fishing shanties which is easily installable, is rugged, may accommodate dry terrain, as well as snow or ice covered terrain, and is easily mountable and dismountable from the ice fishing shanty.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ice fishing shanties serve as enclosures inside of which an ice fisherman is at least partly protected from harsh weather conditions encountered at ice level of a frozen body of water. Home-made ice fishing shanties are usually constructed of wood, whereas commercially available ice fishing shanties are usually constructed of a metallic frame over which is placed a canvas or plastic enclosure. Ice fishing shanties have a floor, which in the home-made case is usually composed of wood, and in the commercial case is usually composed of plastic. The floor is provided with one or more holes through which the fisherman can access one or more holes that he has provided in the ice of a frozen body of water.
Ice fisherman are confronted with the problem of transporting their ice fishing shanty to a selected location upon a frozen body of water. In this regard, the ice fisherman must frequently drag his ice fishing shanty across the surface of plowed parking areas, across snowless land and then across the surface of the frozen body of water. Since the ice fishing shanty may have accessories with it, such as a heater, chairs, a tackle box, etc., the ice fishing shanty can be of considerable weight for the ice fisherman to drag.
Because of this acknowledged dragging difficulty, some ice fishing shanties have been equipped with skis for facilitating dragging of the ice fishing shanty. Examples of ice fishing shanties equipped with skis are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,926,893, 4,631,877, 3,971,395, and 2,464,884. However, it yet remains a problem in the art to provide removable skis which are rugged and yet very easily removed from the ice fishing shanty upon arrival at the selected location for ice fishing. It yet further remains a problem in the art for ice fishing shanties to be dragged across various kinds of terrain which can range from dry asphalt, concrete, or gravel, to snow and ice: skis alone cannot assist the fisherman accomplish this feat,